Have you been struggling to find a clinician who fits the bill? Before admitting defeat, take a step back and take a good look at who you’re looking for, and how you are going about looking for that person. Are you asking for the impossible? Could you compromise on certain ‘wants’ that aren’t exactly ‘needs’?

Have realistic expectations

If you can’t find suitable practitioners for your clinic, it may not be the case that experienced clinicians are just in short supply. It could be that the package you’re offering isn’t exciting or flexible enough to be of interest to the right people, or your requirements are too specific. You do need to have realistic expectations about the skills available, the salary that will be expected, the hours people will work, and the contractual details that will be acceptable.

If you are looking for an aesthetic doctor or nurse prescriber, for example, you may find that advertising only for a full-time, permanent member of staff does not attract experienced clinicians, as many will already have other part-time work. Also, such practitioners may not wish to become a salaried employee, as they may prefer to work on a freelance basis.

Although it is good practice to be discerning when recruiting, don’t let pickiness hold your business back. You may have a very specific person in mind for your clinic, but there may be compromises you can make to get a great new employee.

Be proactive, don’t just wait for applications

If you have advertised for a clinician and have had no suitable responses, then revisit your recruitment process. Make sure your advert contains an element of what you can offer a new employee, not just what you want from them. You also need your advert to be visible to the right people, so don’t just place an advert on your own website, post it on social media and try using job boards or industry-specific sites where clinicians are likely to visit.

If you are looking for an employee with a niche skillset, then simply posting a job advert may not be that productive. Job adverts are read by people actively looking for work, and your ideal employee may not be doing that. Try looking for your new practitioner on LinkedIn, or employing the services of a recruitment consultant to headhunt on your behalf. Make sure you set up a good personal profile and company page on LinkedIn to look professional and approachable, and encourage people to connect with you.

Invest in training

Aesthetics training courses can be costly, and if you’re sending an employee out to complete a course, you’ll also have to cover their wages, and potentially find cover for the period they are out of the clinic. This may seem prohibitive, but rather than just looking at the immediate costs, you must look at the longer-term benefits as well.

If you find a highly skilled practitioner who has the right attitude and character to fit in with your team, then should you really turn them away on the basis that they lack knowledge of one particular cosmeceutical brand or laser device? Though you may need to organise some extra training, if a practitioner has experience that is in part transferrable, then it may be relatively straightforward to get them up-to-speed with your clinic’s specialities.

Your outlay for training a new staff member may seem steep, but being short-staffed or incapable of expansion while you wait for your ideal practitioner to turn up can also be costly. Training costs can soon be recouped, as your employee’s additional skills should be an asset to the clinic. If you are too afraid of spending out on training, you could end up falling behind your competitors, and losing business. If you invest in your team at the right time for your business, then it will prove fruitful.